Money badly needed for death trap roads - cyclist

A cycling enthusiast who lives on the Shropshire-Staffordshire border has welcomed news the counties will get the largest chunk of government funding to tackle potholes.

John Ireson, from Church Eaton, has been cycling for decades, but says the "death trap" potholes he now encounters are the worst he has seen.

Mr Ireson chairs numerous cycling groups including Wolverhampton Wheelers, and says friend recently suffered serious injuries when his bike hit a pothole.

The government has announced £171m to fix potholes across the West Midlands, as part of a nationwide push to improve roads.

Staffordshire will get £39m in total, representing the highest share in the region, followed by £33m for Shropshire.

Mr Ireson, 59, said the roads in the two counties are "dreadful" and "an accident waiting to happen".

"It's bad for car drivers and motorcyclists but for push bike [riders] it becomes a death trap," he told the BBC.

Mr Ireson said he thought Shropshire and Staffordshire were getting more funding because of their many minor roads in rural areas.

He says "anything" was welcome, but hopes the fixes are not superficial.

"It's good we're getting more more than [other places], but I think it's a reflection on the state of the roads," he said.

"It needs to be more than a minor fix. They need to resurface some of these roads completely."

The government said it was committed to record levels of investment that will "reverse a decade of decline on our country's roads".

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